The Argument for SBG

How can the argument be simplified? How can it be any clearer? Feel free to leave comments here or within the automated argument (click the deny buttons until you get to a text field to leave a comment).

I think a distinction between the ol’ formative and summative assessments would be good. Also, some references to how teachers may solve the problems of lack of time for frequent assessment, etc. I think that’s the main reason people are still basing their grades on homework etc, that it’s just easier that way.

By the way, I’m a little concerned that formative assessment may in fact perhaps better be based on things like attendance and homework – which by themselves do not show student understanding, but which help build it.
And SBG may let students do things in their own pace so much that keeping the class together may become an issue.
Addressing these issues would make your argument more convincing, though I don’t know how to do so within a Socratic dialogue.

Julia, all important points, and I don’t know that those issues can be addressed within such a dialogue.

The automated socratic dialogue seems to lay out the rationale specifically based on our beliefs about grades & understanding – “we hold these things to be true.”

The issues you’ve brought up – HW strategies, logistical issues, etc – seem to be some of the possible obstacles that might compete with the rationale. Often, these obstacles seem like the “buts:”

Example: “We should give many specific grades and help students change them often, BUT doing that may let students do things in their own pace so much that keeping the class together may become an issue.”

To address those issues, I think back to a strategy in Pink’s “A Whole New Mind” called “the power of AND.” Essentially, we take all of the issues to be true, and then figure out what to do next.

Example: “We should give many specific grades and help students change them often, AND doing that may let students do things in their own pace so much that keeping the class together may become an issue.”

Knowing that these both may be true, what do I do next? Reframing with “and” instead of “but” always helps me clarify the next steps I would want to take.